Posts from What kind of magic do you like the most?

What kind of magic do you like the most, and why?

Maybe we should do a poll?
Summoning is definitely the best. Phoenix, Phantom, Elementals, Hornets. A serious school with practically no weaknesses and relevant at all stages of the game.
In second place, as a single-player enthusiast, I can't help but highlight Darkness. Mind spells are the strongest weapon against the AI and quite powerful against human players. Especially if you have Sandro's cloak. The downside: there are more relevant schools at the beginning of the game.
In third place is Light, which wonderfully enhances the player's advantages on the battlefield. It's unlikely you can win a hopeless battle with it, but if you already have some advantages... It's mainly relevant towards the end of the game, which is also a downside compared to Summoning.
In fourth place is Chaos. The most difficult school, as it loses relevance in a prolonged game and has many opportunities to fail or deal reduced damage. However, it is relevant at the beginning of the game, as it helps in dealing with not-so-strong neutral creatures. In essence, Chaos (in my opinion) makes sense to take only for Necromancers (and even then, not always) or with the intention of a fast game (but then you need to go all-out to visit the opponent as early as possible).

Light Magic is a very effective type of magic. In most cases, it helps to reduce damage taken from spells and weapons. There are spells like Holy Word, which deals damage to all creatures from Inferno and Necropolis, and Divine Retribution, which avenges fallen creatures.

Holy Word is somewhat weak. Especially if your hero doesn't have a very high Magic skill (and in other cases, this school is rarely developed).
Divine Retribution was terrible in 3.0; in 3.1, it was nerfed, and now it fits this statement:

It's unlikely that they can win a hopeless battle.

For other factions, chaos magic becomes useless towards the end, as all heroes have artifacts that provide magic defense and resistance. But for Warlocks, I would take chaos magic. If you find a pendant of skill, it will be very effective towards the end. And in long games, the entire map is usually revealed, which means there will be frequent skirmishes and battles, and this means that heroes will not have over 9000 units, so, in my opinion, chaos magic is worth taking for a Dark Elf.
Regarding the topic - summoning is powerful. It's great to use archers as a wall of swords to protect against large creatures.

Everyone is talking about summoning... summoning...
I think dark magic will be more powerful (strong spells of levels 4-5 + mass spells), unless you're playing against Necropolis, of course.

And how do you plan to counter Phoenixes or Elementals with darkness (assuming you don't have Sandro's Robe)?

I suggest the simplest option: just ignore them and cast Darkness on more suitable targets (and if you have Sandro's Cloak, even better :smile10:), but if you really want to use Darkness specifically against elementals and phoenixes (by the way, if I'm not mistaken, Subdue works perfectly on phoenixes), then cast mass spells, especially Slow, which is effective due to the low initiative of elementals. Of course, there are different nuances, such as magic resistance, magic reflection, etc., but still, this is a kind of template.

P.S.: How are you going to win a hopeless battle with Summon when facing more or less substantial armies? In combination with other spells, it's possible, no doubt, but with just Summon alone?

In Heroes 5, there is a neutral magic school that has no equal in terms of damage and also ignores magic resistance. It is similar to chaos magic. It includes the spells "Devil's Chain" and "Hellfire." One drawback is that it doesn't affect demons. Unfortunately, summoning magic is only available to wizards and necromancers. For the former, phoenix, elementals, and celestial shield act as a "boost" to military strength; for the latter, it's raising the dead. Wizards benefit the most, and the reason is that they have a lot of mana (and summoning is the most mana-intensive school) and strong spellcasting. Demons and elves are also quite knowledgeable, but they are not very good at spellcasting. Dwarves and humans are inferior in all respects. Unless dwarves need summoning for a super ability. There are no inherently strong or weak schools here; it's important who uses the school and how well it suits them.

In Heroes 5, there is a neutral magic school that has no equal in terms of damage and also ignores magic resistance. It is similar to chaos magic. It includes the spells "Devil's Chain" and "Hellfire."

Well, not exactly no equal, and only two characters possess this magic school: the Overlord with Biara :D, and that's only in one battle.

"There are no strong or weak schools here; it's important who uses the school and how well it suits them." - that's true, but I still think that dark magic stands out a bit from this statement.

At the initial stage, the hell wave deals 250 units of damage. This is enough to obliterate any unwanted creature.

In the early stages, the hell wave deals 250 damage. This is enough to incinerate any unwanted creature.

And do Black/Lava/Arcata dragons already count as summoned?:rolleyes:

and in general, it's better to concentrate, say, 1500 damage, rather than 250 to each.
And the main question is, how to get Kha-Belekh out of Shio?)

By the way, the Dominate spell works great on Phoenixes, if I'm not mistaken.

You're mistaken ;) An Elemental is an Elemental.

And how are you going to win a hopeless battle with Summon when facing more or less substantial armies? It's possible in combination with other spells, no doubt, but with just Summon alone?

What do you mean by "substantial"? 100 dragons? Well, yes, then it's problematic. However, this situation is only possible in single-player scenarios, and even then, there's always a way to avoid letting it drag on.

I suggest the simplest option: just ignore them and cast Darkness on more suitable targets.

And you'll watch as a bunch of zombies slowly and not very effectively beat up a bunch of skeletons, or vice versa... Meanwhile, the Phoenix, together with the remaining enemy troops, will perfectly decide the outcome of the battle ;)
It's pointless to talk about the neutral school because then you'd have to include all sorts of skills like "Banshee's Cry" and "Enchanted Arrow."

You're mistaken ;) An elemental is an elemental.

Isn't a phoenix an elemental? I don't think I have one on my computer, but there are a lot of different mods, although it's not listed as an elemental in the manual either.

What do you mean by "substantial"? 100 dragons? Well, yes, then it's a problem. However, this situation is only possible in single-player scenarios, and even then, there's always a way to avoid letting it drag on.

Why immediately 100 dragons? 15-20 and the rest are smaller units (especially if they are dwarves).

And you'll see a bunch of zombies slowly and not very effectively beating a bunch of skeletons, or vice versa... Meanwhile, the phoenix, along with the remaining enemy troops, will perfectly decide the outcome of the battle ;)

Isn't Darkness only used by the Undead? My army can also have trained paladins who attack quickly and effectively ;) And besides, is Darkness only strong because of its control/berserk abilities? You can cast Blindness/Slow on the phoenix. And in general, a summoned phoenix isn't that strong and is unlikely to compare to, say, 10 dragons. PS: Let's switch to "you," there's no need for formalities between students

Well, you can check just in case. It’s possible that the summoned phoenix doesn’t explicitly state that it has this property, but nevertheless...